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CHEMICAL DE-ICING OF ROADS--EFFECT ON ROAD ACCIDENTS

KEMISK HALKBEKAMPNING--EFFEKT PA TRAFIKOLYCKOR

In a previous study it was shown that chemical de-icing--salting--reduced the presence of ice and snow on roads to a greater extent than mechanical removal of snow by ploughing combined with sanding. The present report deals with the effect of salting on the number of traffic accidents on the national road network. A follow-up of an enlarged salting programme between 1970 and 1974 shows no reduction in the total number of accidents during the winter months. An estimate of the accident rate for different road conditions in 1973 indicates that salting has no accident-reducing effect due to the fact that as the amount of ice/snow decreases, the accident rate on ice/snow increases just enough to make the total number of accidents remain constant. However, since the investigation is non-experimental and without control over important background factors such as traffic volume and speed, one can not draw the conclusion that salting has no effect on traffic safety. /Author/